Official Luthiers Forum!

   My favorite tool as of late is my trusty Gramil. Man, I just love that thing. I free-hand my routing for binding and purfling. I use the Stew-Mac or LMI rabbeting set. Although my laminate router (grand-dady Rockwell 310M) has a small base I still can't get a perfect channel since I register from the top.

   With the Gramil I can get a very uniform channel. It's quick and easy to set up and very versatile.

   I guess the best would be to have a system where I register from the side... Another jig, another expense...

   So here are a few pics. The B&S are the best grade EIR LMI had, and the simple end-graft is flamed koa.

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I'd like to be able to prove, just for once, that money wouldn't make me happy...

That's a cool lil jig i'd love to have, i think i'm gonna try and build me one!

Yeah, Al, show us more piccys of your awesome baby!

Serge

. Hesh, I don't have any other pics, except for these:







I still really like my Gramil... and yes, those are Cohibas...

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I'd like to be able to prove, just for once, that money wouldn't make me happy...

Yes, I'd love to see more of the guitar...but I'd really like an inservie on the gramil. Nice tool.

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Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines.

Oh is but that gonna be sweet! Alain the figure in that EIR back is to die for.

Yup, another sweet box that will come out of Alain's shop, that Andre guy will just love this guitar! WTG bud!

   Thanks guys!

   Anthony, I too really like the figure. For EIR, it's pretty nice. Lot's of red. Should stand out under finish, I hope (fingers crossed... Murphy, stay out of my shop!)

   Bill, the Gramil I bought from LMI. In the forty-ish dollar range. Hock blade. Very solid and easily adjusted with an Allan key. Registers from the top or the side. Love it. I've heard of some people actually using just this kind of tool and a chisel to excavate binding channels...

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I'd like to be able to prove, just for once, that money wouldn't make me happy...

Alain, I've been thinking about getting a gramil myself.I Read that about the guy doing all the channels with a gramil and chisel,Can't remember who it was!Nice looking guitar you got going there!

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Anderson Guitars
Clearwater,Fl. 33755

I wonder if any of you guys have built one, a homebrew version anyone?

Serge

I've done a couple of guitars' binding channels with just the gramil and a chisel, it is surprisingly quick and accurate too. I still always use the gramil to define all of my channels before routing them out, this helps enormously with avoiding tearout especially on WRC and is a kind of insurance.

I've got a copy FE19 in the pipeline and will be cutting the binding channels on this one with just the gramil and chisel. We have to earn our honorific of "Luthier".

Colin

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I don't believe in anything, I simply make use of a set of reasonable working hypotheses.

Nice look'in! The neck is a little more square than what I would like but it looks good!

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Billy Dean Thomas
Covina, CA

"Multi famam, conscientiam, pauci verentur."
(Many fear their reputation, few their conscience)

[QUOTE=Colin S] I've done a couple of guitars' binding channels with just the gramil and a chisel, it is surprisingly quick and accurate too. I still always use the gramil to define all of my channels before routing them out, this helps enormously with avoiding tearout especially on WRC and is a kind of insurance. [/QUOTE]

Sounds good....On my way to LMI to order one!

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Anderson Guitars
Clearwater,Fl. 33755

[QUOTE=Serge Poirier] I wonder if any of you guys have built one, a homebrew version anyone?
[/QUOTE]

Irving Sloane's book Classic Guitar Construction has plans for one. Dunno about his book on steel string construction. All you need is a couple of scraps of hardwood, a few nuts and bolts, an old jigsaw blade, and a way to put an edge on the tip of the blade.

I built one based on Sloane's plans. I'm not all that happy with it. It follows the grain more than I like, but then it might just be (probably is) my technique. The LMI one looks like it will work better and is probably well worth the money.

Best,

Michael

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Live to Play, Play to Live

Thanks Michael!

Serge

Gramil... now, there's another one of those words I don't know how to pronounce... GRAM-il (ending as in apple)? GRAHM-il? gra-MEEL? GRAY-mil?

Anyway, I have one. Very nice tool. I like Colin's idea of using it before routing. Might try that next time.

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Todd Rose
Ithaca, NY

https://www.dreamingrosesecobnb.com/todds-art-music

https://www.facebook.com/ToddRoseGuitars/

BTW, I see that you're still trying to decide between the blue headplate and the macassar(?) one. I think the blue one is really classy. Esp if it glows under a black light.   

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Todd Rose
Ithaca, NY

https://www.dreamingrosesecobnb.com/todds-art-music

https://www.facebook.com/ToddRoseGuitars/

...Todd, you know it!

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I'd like to be able to prove, just for once, that money wouldn't make me happy...

Alain--another vote for the blue headstock.
That is, if you use the same stuff to bind the guitar!

Kidding aside, that guitar already looks sweet, and should make you proud!

Steve

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From Nacogdoches...the oldest town in Texas.

http://www.stephenkinnaird.com

[QUOTE=Todd Rose] gra-MEEL?[/QUOTE]
That one.

Gramil users...that teeny-weeny blade is driving me crazy. How do you sharpen it?

BTW...the Sloane purfling cutter was designed for violins, and all its weight is above the channel, with a small brass guide registering against the side, making it difficult to control. The Schneider gramil puts its weight (a piece of aluminum) into the side register, with an adjustable arm holding the blade. Much more stable for guitarmaking.

Or is it gram - ill? Anyhow, I did use it before routing the channels. I'm glad that I did. No tear-out at all.

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I'd like to be able to prove, just for once, that money wouldn't make me happy...

Carlton, I'm not sure about sharpening the blade. It would have to be done free-hand, I guess. I know LMI sells repalcement blades at 3.65$ a piece. You can check it out here :

Gramil and blades

   Hope this helps.

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I'd like to be able to prove, just for once, that money wouldn't make me happy...

[QUOTE=Michael McBroom] [QUOTE=Serge Poirier] I wonder if any of you guys have built one, a homebrew version anyone?
[/QUOTE]

Irving Sloane's book Classic Guitar Construction has plans for one. Dunno about his book on steel string construction. All you need is a couple of scraps of hardwood, a few nuts and bolts, an old jigsaw blade, and a way to put an edge on the tip of the blade.

I built one based on Sloane's plans. I'm not all that happy with it. It follows the grain more than I like, but then it might just be (probably is) my technique. The LMI one looks like it will work better and is probably well worth the money.

Best,

Michael[/QUOTE]

The plans are in his steel string guitar book as well. I built one from those plans and used it + a chisel to do the binding rabbet on my first guitars. The results were OK, but like Michael I had problems with it following the grain easily. However, the cut is very clean and accurate if you take your time. Changing the depth of cut (by adding or removing tin shims between the iron and holder) is also slow and cumbersome, so bottom line is it gets old. I'm sure the Gramil is a much better deal.

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Rian Gitar og Mandolin

Beauty

I also see a peek of what looks like a mahogany guitar...show us that too.

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Andy Z.
http://www.lazydogguitars.com